Just realized I didn't post this last week. Apologies for the double post today but hope you can use some of the tips and meal ideas below!
Another week another meal plan written out and prep Sunday complete! I have been slack on the meal planning over the past few weeks. The kids have finished camp and our days have been spent, without a real schedule, free from time lines or things to do. Freeing but also a little unfamiliar for the OCD and schedule queen that I am! With school time nearing I want to get a few new recipes under our belt to put in the rotation and with vacation coming up we have a fridge full of food plus some garden greens that need to be consumed.
I've talked about the benefit of meal planning before (see here) but often I too get lost in the art of just riding through my days or weeks without a plan. It's freeing sometimes to do this and when we don't have busy days or evenings this works. But as summer comes to a close and school with back in session … [Read more...]

Sometimes my body cravings a reset or cleansing meal that is not a smoothie or salad but something warm, soothing and gently on the tummy. Soups are a year-long favorite meal for me. Like smoothies, pureed soups allow the body to easily digest and assimilate the nutrients. They are quick and easy to prepare and can be made in big batches so you have enough to get you through the week.
The Liver Detox Soup below is a fantastic cleanser to keep in your tool belt or pull out once a month or when you need it. Our body rids its toxins via the liver, which is the master metabolizer and one of the hardest working organs in the body. It tirelessly filters our blood, breaks down hormones, stores essential vitamins and minerals and produces bile needed to digest fat. Given the amount of toxins that we are exposed to in our modern era via food, environmental pollutants and endocrine disrupting personal care products. Often our livers get over worked and are not able to keep up, not … [Read more...]

One of the things I love doing most in my work is helping busy moms, dads or anyone really, learn how to meal plan and prep and set up an on going practice of healthy eating. Giving them the tools to plan out their weeks and incorporate healthy homemade meals that they and their families love. Replacing the frozen meals or take out with easy to throw together meals full of wholesome, real foods which provide the body with nutrients, fiber, vitamins and all the good stuff nature provides us. My goal for you is easy: healthy food without the stress or drama of deciding what to cook or eat. So here’s my secret weapon, well not really secret, but my key to easy healthy meals is: Menu Planning and Meal Prep.
These two things I promise you are the key to not only save you lots of time but also money and a whole lot of stress too. It will take out the “what to eat” or “what do I feel like cooking” questions off the table every night. The steps are easy, not intimidating and even turn … [Read more...]

Years ago, I made a Warm French Lentils dish on a whim when we had my former boss and his wife over for dinner. We served it along with freshly caught scallops, some greens and a good bottle of wine. The scallops were supposed to be the star of the meal but these lentils literally stole the show. While cooking, they made our house smell so amazing the guests asked if we could skip appetizers and go straight to dinner! Their our mouths were watering!
I have since tweaked the recipe a little, to use turkey bacon instead (which the girls preferred and is easy to get nitrate free!). The recipe below for French Lentils has become a regular on our rotation and a meal the girls request often. So popular it was even requested as their birthday dinner meal and as a Christmas eve dinner.
There are many lentils out there but the best lentils to use for this is are Puy. Puy lentils are very small and dark in color and are from an area of France called Le Puy in the Auvergne (hence … [Read more...]

This Chicken Rice Soup is probably one of the easiest homemade recipes. You drop the items in a big soup pot and literally step away while it cooks. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time for a quick and easy meal when you have no time to spare. Using homemade Chicken Broth makes the chicken rice soup incredibly medicinal, healing and just what the doctor ordered if you are feeling under the weather. Of course using boxed chicken broth or stock cubes is also great and makes this soup even faster to whip up!
This version of chicken rice soup is a basic one but one that you can add to or modified depending on what you have on hand and your tastes.
For a fun variation, try swapping the rice with your favorite pasta or quinoa for a little extra protein. To make this soup vegetarian, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and the chicken with some chickpeas or black beans. Try adding in some extras to spice things up (a little red pepper flakes), top it with some … [Read more...]

One of the easiest staples to have on your back burner….literally! Homemade chicken broth is one of the easiest things to throw together, takes no skill or fancy kitchen equipment, just a little bit of your time to reap the benefits. Vegetable or chicken broths are great to have on hand to cook beans or grains, throw into sauces, stews or to turn into the base of a soup. The longer cooking time will give you a rich medicinal broth that is perfect as a base for a meal or to simply sip on throughout the day.
ONCE YOU LEARN HOW TO MAKE THIS CHICKEN BROTH YOU WILL BE HOOKED!
So save those chicken bones and unused vegetables that you were thinking of tossing. Instead throw them into a big pot with some water and a few spices. The chicken broth recipe below is a robust one that will pack in the nutrients, like medicine in a pot. No need to peel things, just chop them up to fit in the pot. If I don't have all the ingredients listed (or the time to chop) I use a simpler version to make … [Read more...]

There is nothing like a hot bowl of vegetable curry ! Having parents who grew up in London, meant curries were a regular in our meal rotation when I was a kid. Indian also became a favorite of my dearest Maman, who was French to the bone, but having lived in England for most of her life, learned to love a good curry.
When I was growing up, curries were usually reserved for a weekend meal when Dad would hit the nearby Indian spice shop to stock up on the requisite spices and Indian treats like poppadoms he couldn’t get from our local grocer. Attracted by the exotic fragrances of the spices, us kids were pulled into the kitchen by the delicious smells, eager to help out and be the official taste-testers to help judge how spicy our dinner should be! Dad didn’t usually cook from a recipe but relied on his vivid memory of the curries he had as a young man and the lessons he learned from the Indian grocer below his flat in London who first introduced him to Indian food.
Fast forward … [Read more...]

Don't know about you but I have nights when I am scrambling to get dinner together. I love having this Lentil Bolognese Sauce on hand either in the freezer or ready to go. It's a regular in our pasta night rotation. Try making this on nights (or days) when you need something hearty, healthy and filling when you don’t have a ton of time on your hands. The sauce comes together in less than 20 minutes, serves well over traditional pasta, gluten-free varieties, on pizza, in lasagna or even over steamed vegetables. Lentil Bolognese is rich in fiber, high in plant-based protein and a ton of vitamins and minerals. This simple recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket when you want something new but quick and easy!
Can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Lentil Bolognese is a great alternative for Meatless Mondays or when you want something a little more substantial than a basic marinara. For any pickier guests at your table, puree the sauce … [Read more...]

Tuscan Kale & Lentil Stew with chicken sausage
Winter in Chicago just wouldn’t be winter without a polar vortex! Baby it's cold outside and it's time to dream of Tuscany and make a hearty Tuscan Kale & Lentil Stew!! I love how we now use marketing buzz words seasonal weather! I grew in Canada where we simply call this kind of weather WINTER!! Hahaha!! Nonetheless as Christmas nears not even this incoming blast of cold can change the spirits at our house. With this cold front coming in and a thousand things to do better the big day, I wanted something quick and easy to make that we could all enjoy.
Every morning the girls count the number of days on the calendar left until the big night that good old Santa will make his annual visit. They have had me check the chimney to make sure it’s clean (even though we have an electric fireplace) and clear for him to come down. The lead up to the big day is almost as exciting as the big day itself with the final week of school … [Read more...]

Inspired by GOOP’s burgers, I whipped these up on a Friday night for my kiddos, along side my Thai Veggie Burgers for the hubby and me. The little ladies had just gotten fitted with their expanders from their orthodontist so I wasn’t sure if they would eat much of anything but these burgers were a big success!! We shared the extra two burgers with our neighbors who had had a long week and were too exhausted to even think about cooking. Just love sharing good food with good friends!
These paired well with usual burger fare: oven fries and finger veggies, but I could also see making these into little meatballs and serving them with a stir-fry, some Healthy Fried Rice or Fava Brown Rice Salad.
Thai Chicken Burgers
Delicious on a hamburger bun or in a large leaf lettuce roll. Option to top burger with a drizzle of sriracha or a spicy Asian mustard dipping sauce, or as my eldest did, good old fashioned ketchup!! Though can’t (won’t) say how the latter would taste! These are … [Read more...]